Where do I start?

The question running through my mind is, where to start. Do I start with each of our births, LOL? No. That would be a bit long and I'd lose everyone. So I guess I will start with when the word Africa first passed through our lips.

It was about 5-6 years ago that my husband, Shannon, received a word over him that he would one day be involved in full-time ministry. I remember at the time being excited but wary. My husband, possibly a pastor? (The job of pastor is what most of us think of first isn't it?) But more importantly me, a pastor's wife? I wasn't sure this was something I would be able to do and I was certainly sure it wasn't something I wanted to do. I jokingly said to a friend at church, "Oh great. He'll end up in full-time misssions and drag me off to someplace like Africa," with a giggle and a roll of the eyes. My friend told me to be careful. That sometimes when we speak like that it is because God has actually already put that on our hearts. As I thought about that a bit and the word given over Shannon, I realized that orphans have always been on my heart. After all, Shannon and I are licensed foster parents and have even adopted a daughter through the foster care system. But even more on my heart, were the orphans of Africa, many of which are orphaned because of the AIDs epidemic.

It semed that everywhere I turned was Africa. On the news, in the magazines, in pictures, even in the mail. As my heart was stirred more and more, I began to have a burning desire to go to Africa. I wanted to see the children and love on them and tell them about Jesus. Missionaries would come to our church, sometimes from Africa, sometimes from other places and my desire continued to grow stronger.

Then in 2003, Shannon joined a team travelling to Haiti(near Cuba) on a missions trip. He was gone for 12 days and it was a life-changing experience for him. He saw the poverty, the filth, and the orphans. He greived over what he witnessed and told me I had to go see it for myself. I told him at the time, I will go...to Africa...but not to Haiti, at this point. I reminded him that the evangelist he travelled with to Haiti, also travels to Africa and that maybe someday I would go with her there. Shannon told me then, that this evangelist usually wants people who travel with her to go to an easier assignment first like Haiti or Jamaica, rather than Africa. Travel in Africa is a lot more dificult than the other places and it is prudent for the evangelist to know the people travelling with her will be able to handle the trip. Although I understood why, I was disappointed to hear this and began to pray for God to send someone to me and show me who I was to travel, with as I knew by this time it was going to happen. I just didn't know how. With who? When? Those were the questions I needed to wait for an answer for. Fortunately, I didn't need to wait long.